CHAPTER 6 COMMUNICATION AND

LEADERSHIP

Learning Objectives

1. Functions of communication 2. communication process 3. Direction of communication 4. Interpersonal and organizational

communication 5. Barriers towards effective communication 6. Concept of leadership 7. Leadership theories

WHAT IS COMMUNICATION?

“Communication is the transfer of information from one person to another person. It is a way of reaching others by transmitting ideas, facts,

thoughts, feeling sand values” By Newstrom and Davis.

FUNCTIONS OF COMMUNICATION

1. Control member behavior

2. Foster motivation for what is to be done

3. Provide a release for emotional expression

4. Provide information needed to make decisions

COMMUNICATION PROCESS

SENDER ENCODE DECODE RECEIVER

CHANNEL

MESSAGES

FEEDBACK

NOISE

COMMUNICATION PROCESS

• The steps between a source and a receiver that result in the transference and understanding of meaning

a) The Sender – initiates message b) Encoding – translating thought to message c) The Message – what is communicated d) The Channel – the medium the message travels through e) Decoding – the receiver’s action in making sense of the

message f) The Receiver – person who gets the message g) Noise – things that interfere with the message h) Feedback – a return message regarding the initial

communication

COMMUNICATION CHANNELS

• The medium selected by the sender through which the message travels to the receiver.

• Types of channel: a) Formal Channels - established by the organization

and transmit messages that are related to the professional activities of members

b) Informal Channels - used to transmit personal or social messages in the organization. These informal channels are spontaneous and emerge as a response to individual choices

COMMUNICATION CHANNELS

• Direction of Communication: a) Upward b) Downward c) Lateral

INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION

• Interpersonal communication is the process that we use to communicate our ideas, thoughts, and feelings to another person.

• It can involve one on one conversations or individuals interacting with many people within a society.

• It also occurs within groups and organizations.

VERBAL OR NONVERBAL?

• Verbal

Methods in Communication • Non Verbal

INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION

• Oral Communication – Advantages: Speed and feedback – Disadvantage: Distortion of the message

• Written Communication – Advantages: Tangible and verifiable – Disadvantages: Time-consuming and lacks feedback

• Nonverbal Communication – Advantages: Supports other communications and provides

observable expression of emotions and feelings – Disadvantage: Misperception of body language or gestures

can influence receiver’s interpretation of message

NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION • Body Movement

– Unconscious motions that provide meaning – Shows extent of interest in another and relative perceived

status differences • Intonations and Voice Emphasis

– The way something is said can change meaning • Facial Expressions

– Show emotion • Physical Distance between Sender and Receiver

– Depends on cultural norms – Can express interest or status

ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS: E-MAIL

• E-mail – Advantages: Quickly written, sent, and stored; low cost for

distribution – Disadvantages:

• Messages are easily and commonly misinterpreted • Not appropriate for sending negative messages • Overused and overloading readers • Removes inhibitions and can cause emotional responses and

flaming • Difficult to “get” emotional state understood – emoticons • Non-private: e-mail is often monitored and may be forwarded to

anyone

ELECTRONIC COMMS: INSTANT/TEXT MESSAGING

Forms of “real time” communication of short messages that often use portable communication devices

– Explosive growth in business use – Fast and inexpensive means of communication – Can be intrusive and distracting – Easily “hacked” with weak security – Can be seen as too informal

•Instant Messaging – Immediate e-mail sent to receiver’s desktop or device

•Text Messages – Short messages typically sent to cell phones or other handheld devices

ELECTRONIC COMMS: NETWORKING SOFTWARE

• Linked systems organically spread throughout the nation and world that can be accessed by a PC

• Includes: – Social networks like MySpace® and Facebook®

– Professional networks like Zoominfo® and Ziggs®

– Corporate networks such as IBM’s BluePages®

• Key Points: – These are public spaces – anyone can see what you post – Can be used for job application screening – Avoid “over stimulating” your contacts

ELECTRONIC COMMS: BLOGS AND VIDEOCONFERENCING

• Blogs: websites about a single person (or entity) that are typically updated daily – A popular but potentially dangerous activity:

• Employees may post harmful information • Such comments may be cause for dismissal • No First Amendment rights protection • Can be against company policy to post in the blog during company

time and on company equipment/connections

• Videoconferencing: uses live audio and video Internet streaming to create virtual meetings – Now uses inexpensive webcams and laptops in place of

formal videoconferencing rooms

KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT • The process of organizing and distributing an

organization’s collective wisdom so the right information gets to the right people at the right time.

• Important because: – Intellectual assets are as critical as physical assets. – When individuals leave, their knowledge and experience

go with them. – A KM system reduces redundancy and makes the

organization more efficient.

• Requires an organizational culture that values sharing of information.

CHOICE OF COMMUNICATION CHANNEL

• The model of “media richness” helps explain an individual’s choice of communication channel – Channels vary in their capacity to convey information

• A “rich” channel is one that can:

– Handle multiple cues simultaneously – Facilitate rapid feedback – Be very personal

• Choice depends on whether the message is routine

• High-performing managers tend to be very media-sensitive

BARRIERS TOWARDS EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

• Filtering – A sender’s manipulation of information so that it will be

seen more favorably by the receiver • Selective Perception

– People selectively interpret what they see on the basis of their interests, background, experience, and attitudes

• Information Overload – A condition in which information inflow exceeds an

individual’s processing capacity • Emotions

– How a receiver feels at the time a message is received will influence how the message is interpreted.

BARRIERS TOWARDS EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

• Language – Words have different meanings to different people.

• Communication Apprehension – Undue tension and anxiety about oral communication,

written communication, or both

• Gender Differences – Men tend to talk to emphasize status while women

talk to create connections ..\PB301-BUSINESS MANAGEMENT\Scary Movie Nonverbal Miscommunication - YouTube.flv

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WHAT IS LEADERSHIP?

• Leadership – The ability to influence a group toward the

achievement of goals

• Management – Use of authority inherent in designated formal

rank to obtain compliance from organizational members

• Both are necessary for organizational success

TRAIT THEORIES OF LEADERSHIP • Theories that consider personality, social, physical, or

intellectual traits to differentiate leaders from non-leaders

• Traits can predict leadership, but they are better at predicting leader emergence than effectiveness

BEHAVIORAL THEORIES OF LEADERSHIP

• Theories proposing that specific behaviors differentiate leaders from non-leaders

• Differences between theories of leadership:

– Trait theory: leadership is inherent, so we must identify the leader based on his or her traits

– Behavioral theory: leadership is a skill set and can be taught to anyone, so we must identify the proper behaviors to teach potential leaders

IMPORTANT BEHAVIORAL STUDIES

• Ohio State University – Found two key dimensions of leader behavior:

• Initiating structure – the defining and structuring of roles • Consideration – job relationships that reflect trust and respect • Both are important

• University of Michigan – Also found two key dimensions of leader behavior:

• Employee-oriented – emphasize interpersonal relationships and is the most powerful dimension

• Production-oriented – emphasize the technical aspects of the job – The dimensions of the two studies are very similar

BLAKE AND MOUTON’S MANAGERIAL GRID

• Draws on both studies to assess leadership style – “Concern for People” is Consideration and

Employee-Orientation – “Concern for Production” is Initiating Structure

and Production-Orientation

• Style is determined by position on the graph

Exhibit 12-1

CONTINGENCY THEORIES

• While trait and behavior theories do help us understand leadership, an important component is missing: the environment in which the leader exists.

• Contingency Theory deals with this additional aspect of leadership effectiveness studies.

• Three key theories: – Fielder’s Model – Hersey and Blanchard’s Situational Leadership Theory – Path-Goal Theory

FIEDLER MODEL • Effective group performance depends on the proper match

between leadership style and the situation – Assumes that leadership style (based on orientation revealed in

LPC questionnaire) is fixed • Considers Three Situational Factors:

– Leader-member relations: degree of confidence and trust in the leader

– Task structure: degree of structure in the jobs – Position power: leader’s ability to hire, fire, and reward

• For effective leadership: must change to a leader who fits the situation or change the situational variables to fit the current leader

Exhibit 12-2

ASSESSMENT OF FIEDLER’S MODEL

• Positives: – Considerable evidence supports the model,

especially if the original eight situations are grouped into three

• Problems: – The logic behind the LPC scale is not well

understood – LPC scores are not stable – Contingency variables are complex and hard to

determine

FIEDLER’S COGNITIVE RESOURCE THEORY

• A refinement of Fielder’s original model: – Focuses on stress as the enemy of rationality and

creator of unfavorable conditions – A leader’s intelligence and experience influence

his or her reaction to that stress • Stress Levels:

– Low Stress: Intellectual abilities are effective – High Stress: Leader experiences are effective

• Research is supporting the theory

HERSEY & BLANCHARD’S SITUATIONAL LEADERSHIP

• A model that focuses on follower “readiness” – Followers can accept or reject the leader – Effectiveness depends on the followers’ response to the leader’s

actions – “Readiness” is the extent to which people have the ability and

willingness to accomplish a specific task • A paternal model:

– As the child matures, the adult releases more and more control over the situation

– As the workers become more ready, the leader becomes more laissez-faire

• An intuitive model that does not get much support from the research findings

HOUSE’S PATH-GOAL THEORY • Builds from the Ohio State studies and the expectancy

theory of motivation • The Theory:

– Leaders provide followers with information, support, and resources to help them achieve their goals

– Leaders help clarify the “path” to the worker’s goals – Leaders can display multiple leadership types

• Four types of leaders: – Directive: focuses on the work to be done – Supportive: focuses on the well-being of the worker – Participative: consults with employees in decision-making – Achievement-Oriented: sets challenging goals

PATH-GOAL MODEL

• Two classes of contingency variables: – Environmental are outside of employee control – Subordinate factors are internal to employee

• Mixed support in the research findings

Exhibit 12-4

LEADER-MEMBER EXCHANGE (LMX) THEORY

• A response to the failing of contingency theories to account for followers and heterogeneous leadership approaches to individual workers

• LMX Premise: – Because of time pressures, leaders form a special

relationship with a small group of followers: the “in-group” – This in-group is trusted and gets more time and attention

from the leader (more “exchanges”) – All other followers are in the “out-group” and get less of

the leader’s attention and tend to have formal relationships with the leader (fewer “exchanges”)

– Leaders pick group members early in the relationship

LMX Model

• How groups are assigned is unclear – Follower characteristics determine group

membership

• Leaders control by keeping favorites close

• Research has been generally supportive

Exhibit 12-3

YROOM & YETTON’S LEADER-PARTICIPATION MODEL

• How a leader makes decisions is as important as what is decided

• Premise: – Leader behaviors must adjust to reflect task structure – “Normative” model: tells leaders how participative to be in

their decision-making of a decision tree • Five leadership styles • Twelve contingency variables

• Research testing for both original and modified models has not been encouraging – Model is overly complex

GLOBAL IMPLICATIONS

• These leadership theories are primarily studied in English-speaking countries

• GLOBE does have some country-specific insights – Brazilian teams prefer leaders who are high in

consideration, participative, and have high LPC scores – French workers want a leader who is high on initiating

structure and task-oriented – Egyptian employees value team-oriented, participative

leadership while keeping a high-power distance – Chinese workers may favor a moderately participative style

• Leaders should take culture into account

SUMMARY AND MANAGERIAL IMPLICATIONS

• Leadership is central to understanding group behavior as the leader provides the direction

• Extroversion, conscientiousness, and openness all show consistent relationships to leadership

• Behavioral approaches have narrowed leadership down into two usable dimensions

• Need to take into account the situational variables, especially the impact of followers

End of chapter…….